


could it be I fell apart (the lines on my face ate away my smile)

by Leicastel



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: AU?, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Jeaously, Self-Harm, it's an AU but also not an AU, pricefield, the main pairing is supposed to be Pricefield, tug my heartstrings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-08
Updated: 2015-07-08
Packaged: 2018-04-08 07:51:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4296642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leicastel/pseuds/Leicastel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Whiskey and Chloe has never been a good mix.</p>
            </blockquote>





	could it be I fell apart (the lines on my face ate away my smile)

**Author's Note:**

> Not much of a plot, not much of a background. Just a whole lot of angst. Not quite AU but it also isn't during the game timeline either.

The first time Max’s phone went off she instinctively pressed the lock button, silencing the rest of its rings and vibrates, then tightened the covers around her body, promising herself she’ll get up in the next five minutes.

Her phone phone rings again and Max grumbles, she had _just_ closed her eyes and cursed micro-sleep was much too… micro. She reaches for her phone again to check the time, only to realize it wasn’t her alarm going off but a phone call.

Someone was calling her and it was two in the goddamn morning.

“Someone better be dying and if they are, I’m a photography major, not a med student.”

“ _Maxine, the alcohol cabinet has been raided._ ”

Max sighs. “Like I said, I’m studying photography, not criminal justice.”

“ _Its Chloe, Maxine. She’s been drinking.”_

That grabs her attention. Not needing any further explanation she hangs up the phone and rolls out of bed.

She’s out of the room in a matter of minutes.

-x-

The drive to Chloe’s apartment isn’t very long; Max may have been speeding just a little.

She takes the stairs two at a time, slightly out of breath and knocks on the door once only for it to swing open immediately. It was Chloe’s roommate.

“Hey Maxine.”

“It’s Max.”

“Right, well go on and do your magic.”

Max steps into the two bedroom apartment, already familiar with the surroundings and making her way towards Chloe’s room. It would not have mattered if this was her first time visiting, which it wasn’t; there was a stark difference from her roommate’s side of the apartment and Chloe’s.

One side was clean and classy while the other side was not, and had graffiti coupled with posters everywhere.

Max knocks on the door and receives a slurred, _fuck off_. Knowing the drill, she takes out a card from her bag and forces her way in.

Matching her side of the apartment, Chloe’s room was in its typical condition except slightly more destructive, likely from the effects of alcohol and fits of rage.

“Oh, hey Maximillian!” Chloe’s words come out slightly slurred, her body wedged in the corner of her bed and nightstand with a bottle in her hand that was more than half empty, she swirls the brown liquid and makes a face as if she was contemplating to chug the rest.

“Hey Chloe, how are you?”

“I’m fantas– great,” Chloe sniffs and attempts a smile.

She’s been crying, her bloodshot eyes and smudged eyeliner give it away.

“Sure you are,” Max advances carefully, as if not to startle Chloe. She’s known in past experiences how easy it is for Chloe to become agitated and would pass on having bottles being thrown at her. She finds herself in Chloe’s personal bubble and takes a seat next to the woman, who smelt heavily of whiskey every time she exhaled a breath.

They sit there quietly for a while; Max lets Chloe drink the rest of the liquor since the damage was already done and she wasn’t going to let her go anywhere. She plays with her fingers, watching Chloe from the corner of her eye whose head was leaned all the way back staring at the ceiling.

“I like her, Max.”

Max doesn’t turn her head, she nods only in response. She already knows what Chloe is talking about.

“I told her I like her, Rachel, you know?” The other woman lets out a shaky laugh. “And she felt the same way. It’s her and I against the world.”

Her heart clenches a bit, a lot actually, and she nods her head again, pulling her knees to her chest. “That’s great, Chloe,” Max mumbles.

She would never admit it, but she hates hearing this. She listens to Chloe gush about Rachel, lets her retell the story of how they first met then how they first realized their feelings for each other. Chloe always tells it from the beginning, as if they just started dating.

They’ve been dating officially for five months now.

Max doesn’t know what causes Chloe to drink like she does. Typically she assumes it’s because they fought and this is how Chloe releases her stress but she never really says what happened. She just goes on telling her the beginning of their _love_ story.

She also doesn’t know why every time she gets the call, most would assume the girlfriend would be the one to receive call. She suspects the roommate trusts her more.

Max is Chloe’s best friend, after all.

Tonight was somewhat different, as Max eyed the room closely. Chloe’s normal drunk rage was typically unpredictable as everything by random would take the blunt of her anger. This time though, it had a pattern and it involved mostly of things that were relatable to Rachel.

Max extended her legs out then took Chloe’s hand in her own, her thumb gently running over knuckles that were scabbed over, the skin around it still red and raw. She must have been punching her wall but probably and unfortunately hit the stud, causing her to repeatedly punch it in an attempt to make a hole and prove herself.

“Chloe, why do you do this to yourself?” Max whispers as she leans her head on Chloe’s shoulder, inhaling familiar perfume. “You gotta stop before you seriously hurt yourself.”

Chloe lets out a shaky laugh, taking her hand back to run her fingers through short blue locks then wraps an arm around Max, bringing her in close.

“I deserve it, I deserve this pain. It reminds me I’m still alive.”

Max sighs, her cheek nudged in the crook of Chloe’s neck and resists the urge to place a kiss onto creamy skin beneath her. “It doesn’t make it okay.”

There was silence again and Max patiently waits.

“Rachel told me she loves me.”

Her heart does that painful clench again and Max closes her eyes, expecting the worse from this confession. Chloe probably loves her back, it would only make sense. Soon, Chloe won’t have any time to spare for plain old Max Caufield anymore.

Besides, she had a suspecting feeling Rachel wasn’t too fond of her in the first place.

“The problem is…” Chloe begins, trailing off and Max feels Chloe bring her in closer and her chin resting on the top of her crown. “I told Rachel I was in love with you.”

**Author's Note:**

> title line from Fall in Love - Phantogram


End file.
